Sympathy
by Team McAdams
Summary: From the moment that he regained consciousness, Jackson Rippner was obsessed with three things: revenge, the man that had raped Lisa, and Lisa Reisert herself. [JxL]
1. Prologue

I just finished watching Red Eye again and I couldn't ignore this idea. I know there are probably a million other JL fics out there like this one, so I'm trying to come up with some creative ideas on where to take it. This is just the prologue, and if I get good feedback on it I'll keep it going! Let me know if you have ideas and don't be afraid to email me!

Prologue:

From the moment that he regained consciousness, Jackson Rippner obsessed on three things; 1.) revenge, 2.) the man that had raped Lisa, and 3.) Lisa Reisert herself.

At first, he had been highly annoyed that with every spare moment (and even sometimes when he should have been paying attention) her face came to his mind. Particularly the last image he had of her; she was looking sadly down at him as he struggled with consciousness and, unless it had been imagined, he saw a tear slowly slip down her pale cheek.

Three days after the events of the flight to Miami, and somewhere between life and death, Jackson had been plucked from his hospital bed and taken to the headquarters of the Organization. He had been surprised that they would not abandon him after his massive failure. They nursed him back to health, which only took a surprising month and a half. As soon as he was released, he was promised a job within the next month. In the meantime, he had plans of his own. And those plans most definitely included the slip of a woman that had beat the shit out of him.

-------------------

Jackson returned to Miami, and within a few days, had made himself quite at home. He'd bought an apartment, a sleek new Mercedes S550 sedan, and knew his way relatively well around town. Well, that he already knew from his days of watching Lisa. And old habits certainly did die hard.

It wasn't difficult to track Lisa down. She'd moved apartments and gotten a new car, but a few phone calls and he knew where she was. He liked watching her at night the most. She'd changed, but not for the better. Her hours at work were longer, and she barely slept or ate. He saw men flirt with her at the hotel, but she always had the same reaction; a short smile and a quick dismissal. He didn't want to acknowledge how much that privately satisfied him.

The second order of business was this obsession with her rape. He wanted to know every detail of it, and luckily the police report that he got his hands on had as much as was available. 2:30 in the afternoon. Parking garage of a local mall. Male, white, around 6'0", blonde hair (hairs found on jacket), undistinguishable accent. Something about it bothered him. It was no wonder the police hadn't really followed up on it, it described a million men. But, he had envisioned a thousand ways to torture and eventually kill the man who had dared to harm his Lisa, and he wasn't going to give up on it. In some sick way, he saw it as present to her. A few more calls were placed and there was left to do was wait.

The revenge was a bit different. Part of him longed to torture Lisa. To make her pay for what she had done, the shame that she had placed on his name. He wasn't the type of man to make mistakes, and he had made a costly one with her. Jackson knew one thing, he would not underestimate her again.


	2. Chapter 1: Reunion

Don't forget to r&r!

* * *

It had taken her a surprisingly short amount of time to move on from the incident of the red eye flight. Her father had offered to pay for a therapist, medicine, moving out of Miami, and numerous other things but she had declined. Jackson Rippner may have entered her life in a disturbing way, but she'd be damned if she let him make a damsel in distress out of her. She got a new apartment that came with an alarm system and twenty-four hour security guard. The field hockey stick was always by her bed. And the one thing her father offered that she did give in to was the sleek pistol that lay in a drawer of her bedside table.

After everything else, it infuriated Lisa to no end that she could not get him off of her mind. She often thought of what had happened to him. Had he died? Was he on another job? If so, where? With who? What had his 'organization' had to say about his failure? Were they plotting after Keefe again? What was he doing, at that very moment? Did he think about her, too? Or was he lying in bed, a woman tucked at his side.. It was the last thought that always triggered her back to the world of the alert. Why should she care exactly what her would be assassin was up to? But she couldn't get his eyes out of her mind.

One day, the thought finally hit her; her life was boring. That was why she focused on Jackson so much because he had been the most exciting thing to enter her life in years. At night, lying in bed and somewhere between sleep and consciousness, she wondered what a life at Jackson's side would be like. And then she would dream about him. They all seemed to focus on the man that Jackson had been before the flight; attentive, compassionate, charming.. Was he really that good of an actor? Or was that a true part of his nature?

* * *

Jackson's first job back forced him to spend almost a full month in various parts of Europe. When he returned to Miami, he found that everything had changed. Lisa wasn't at her apartment, or her father's, or the Lux. So, he decided it was time to take a small risk.

The lobby of the Lux Atlantic was as he remembered it to be - trendy, sleek, and bustling with tourists and businessmen. The check in counter was almost empty except for the overweight balding man who was obviously harassing the petite redhead at the computer.

"Sir, I'm trying but I can't find a note that Lisa left saying that your first two nights would be comped.."

"Well, she promised me. My service here was horrific last time! I can take my business elsewhere, I'm sure the managers at the Hilton aren't as incompetent."

Cynthia blushed as she furiously searched through the various pieces of paper that Lisa had left behind, and even in the computer, but it was obvious that she wasn't making much headway.

"I flew all the way in from Vancouver! I'm sick of waiting here!"

"Well," Jackson intervened coolly, knowing that this would easily win over Cynthia's attention and trust, "a flight from Vancouver is quite a long flight, you must be exhausted. Why not go to your room and let this lovely woman do what she can? I'm sure by the time you've gotten some rest she will have things figured out." The man turned to glare at Jackson, but with one look, he was subdued. Snatching his room key out of Cynthia's hand, he drudged out of the lobby.

"Thank you so much," Cynthia had a wide smile and was obviously blushing when Jackson turned to look at her. Yes, she was too easy.

"It was no problem, ma'am. Rude people get on my nerves, especially when they're rude to someone so beautiful." She responded with the appropriate giggle and batted her eyelashes.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"Actually, I'm looking for the manager.. Miss Reisert, I believe. Can you tell me where I may find her?"

Cynthia's glow instantly diminished and Jackson wondered if she often got passed up for Lisa. "Oh… Lisa took a leave of absence. Her father had a heart attack a few days ago and he's still in the hospital. I think it's pretty serious. He's at Mt. Sinai, and I think Lisa spends most of her time there trying to take care of him."

* * *

Closing and locking the door behind her, she momentarily leaned against it. It was late and she was emotionally and physically drained. She hadn't slept more than a few hours since her father's heart attack, and the moments she dozed off were at his bedside in a horribly uncomfortable chair. The head nurse had insisted that she leave and get some rest. Her father's house was closer to the hospital than her apartment, so she went there.

Walking into the kitchen and flipping a few lights, she opened the pantry and looked through the shelf of liquor bottles. Pulling the Jack Daniels out, she fixed a glass of ice and poured a generous amount in. Whiskey wasn't her favorite, but it was strong and that's what she wanted. Sipping it, she screwed her face up. But the burn afterwards felt wonderful..

Leaning against the counter, both hands wrapped around the glass, she zoned out. She looked like hell. Her hair was limp and straight, her face was pale and sickly, and she already looked like she'd lost some weight. With a sigh, she took another sip and tried not to cough.

"I never would have pegged you for a whiskey kind of girl, Leese."

The smooth voice startled her so much that she dropped the glass, which shattered on the marble floor. Whirling around she came face to face with him, with only the island counter separating them.

"Jackson.." Her voice was like a hiss as she backed up, watching him walking around the counter to where she stood. Lisa's hand desperately searched for something she could use as a weapon.

"Now look at the mess you've made." His smirk drove her insane.

"What the hell do you want?"

"What, I can't visit an old friend?"

The shock of seeing him slowly began to wear off, and she pulled her shoulders back, trying to make herself feel a little taller. The flat shoes she wore didn't help, and he towered over her. "I suppose you didn't get enough of a beating last time, huh?"

His sudden temper flared and he snarled. Before she could even blink, he'd grabbed her by the neck and flung her so hard against the refrigerator that it shook. Her head hit it hard, and she groaned as everything around her spun. She began to step forward a little, but he was instantly pressed up against her, his hand grabbing on to her neck and squeezing just enough.

"Did you miss me?" Jackson shoved her head roughly back up against the refrigerator, and used his body to completely trap her there. Turning her eyes away, her mouth fell open like a fish as she tried to breathe. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her cheek as he pushed his nose into her hair. "I have to admit, you've looked better. I'm disappointed." His lips were right against her ear, whispering and making her shudder.

Finally, he released his hand and she dropped like a doll to the floor, the glass from the broken cup digging into her legs and hands. Her head dropped forward as she gasped for air.

Jackson walked over and grabbed the Jack Daniels and another cup, fixing his own drink. "I was terribly sorry to hear about your father. I know how tough it must be for you."

Lisa slowly picked herself off the floor, her glare fixed on him at every moment. He sipped the whiskey and fixed her another one as well.

"You bastard."

"I've been called worse before," He grinned at her again and it infuriated her because her heart fluttered. What was she? Some dog in heat?

"Get out."

"No."

She lunged at him, a large chunk of glass from the broken cup in her hand. He dodged just in time, but the glass sliced along his cheek. A thin line of blood immediately appeared and began to drip down his cheek.

With a growl, he grabbed both of her wrists and shoved her against the counter, his hand squeezing the wrist of her hand that held the glass so tight that it felt as if it would snap in half. Crying out, she dropped it and he kicked it away. "You'll regret that," He was in her face again, his lips mere inches from hers and his eyes were unavoidable. She was like a moth to a flame. Unable to stop herself, she tilted her chin just enough that their lips brushed barely against each other. The shock down her spine was like a bolt of lightening, and he pressed his body roughly against hers. She told herself she'd only done it to distract him, but as they stood there with their lips millimeters apart, she wanted more. It made her sick.

He was shocked by her move, and the distraction betrayed him. She could see in his eyes a million emotions that he kept locked away..and she even fooled herself into thinking that some might have been for her, if he was a different man. They stood their, locked together, until it felt like hours..but it had only been a minute. Jackson moved suddenly, pressing his lips roughly to hers. He ravaged her mouth, biting her lips and teasing with his tongue. It embarrassed her that she enjoyed it as much as she did, but she desperately tried to hide it. When he pulled back suddenly, she could feel the blush on her cheeks. She'd given herself away.

With a smirk, he dropped her hands and reached up to cup her face with both of his hands. Without a warning, he slammed her head into the refrigerator and the world went black.

When she woke up the next morning, she was alone with a raging headache. It was her first peaceful sleep in months.

* * *

Sorry this isn't longer! It will as the plot moves along.. I know exactly where I'm taking it and now that I do, I want to get it going! Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the prologue! 


	3. Chapter 2: Phone Calls

I wasn't going to keep putting chapters out this fast, especially when I end up rewriting them a billion times since Microsoft Word pretty much hates me, but the reviews I've gotten have been incredible! I'm so glad people are liking this story and I really hope that I can keep it as unique as possible. I know a lot of the JxL stories out there are wonderful but it sometimes ends up being the same thing.

The only thing I'm debating on is the whole protective!Jackson. I know a lot of people see it as out of character for him, but I think it could be how he would behave. Like he sees Lisa as his, and he'll be damned if anyone (but him of course) hurts what belongs to him. Feed back on this would be awesome!

Anyway, thanks again to you guys because I haven't been this inspired in awhile. I hope this one doesn't disappoint!

Also, I might have to up this to a 'M' for sexual content and language.. Or I'll just post those chapters separately. I haven't decided on that yet either.

Oh, and, Mini Nicka, I'm glad you asked if she was in bed or not. I'd totally forgotten to write that in so I put it in this one.

I have to warn you, this chapter is short. It's kind of a filler chapter because I need it to move the plot along. The next one will be longer!

* * *

It wasn't often that Jackson gave himself the luxury of lingering in a smoky bar. Most of the time he'd have a drink and go. But this time he felt like it was the perfect place to sit and soak in the events from the previous night. With a scotch and a cigarette, he lounged in a deserted corner booth.

He brushed a finger over the cut on his cheek, a mixture of pride and anger swelling in his chest. She continued to amaze him. In any situation, even when she might as well have been half dead from exhaustion, she was resourceful and quick.

After knocking Lisa out, he'd carried her up the stairs and to her bed. He carefully laid her on it and even went as far as to remove her shoes, arrange the pillows, and tuck her under the covers. It startled him how beautiful she was, even when she was obviously not in her best condition. The mixture of femininity and strength that he found in her had weakened him somewhat, otherwise he would never had let anyone beat him the way she had. But, and he knew it to be true, she could easily be his equal. She only thought they were on opposite sides. One situation could easily realign her loyalties.

His musings on Lisa were interrupted when his cell phone went off, and he quickly answered it. "Yeah.. Oh, thanks for getting back to me on that…. Uh huh….. Really? Yeah, I thought it had sounded familiar…. Oh you don't have to worry about me…. Thanks." Stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray, he finished the scotch quickly and stood. Now, he had work to do.

* * *

Lisa took a deep breath. At first waking up, she'd thought that perhaps her encounter with Jackson the night before had actually been a dream. This seemed especially possible after she noticed that the kitchen was spotless.. No broken glass, nothing was knocked over, there wasn't any damage. But, when she looked in the pantry and saw that the Jack Daniels bottle had definitely been open, reality set in. Jackson really had been there. And he had kissed her.

How was it possible for one person to be so endlessly confusing? And that kiss…

Just thinking about it made her stomach twist into uncomfortable knots. It made her sick to think that somewhere deep inside of her, she'd enjoyed it. She had wanted it.

The guy that he'd been when they first met was someone that she could see herself with. But the guy he became on the plane scared her. Lisa knew that he could never be the caring, attentive boyfriend that she had thought she wanted. It was something she told herself over and over again. And why was she even thinking about it? Shaking her head, she quickly cut off the line of thought before it could continue. She was insane. Maybe she should reconsider her father's offer to get her a therapist.

"Dad?" Walking into the dimmed hospital room, Lisa noticed that the TV hummed unwatched as her father slept. He looked unnaturally frail with all the tubes hooked up to him and things beeping. Her shoulders slumped and she slunk down into the chair next to his bed.

When she wasn't busy obsessing on Jackson, she thought about her father. It wasn't good. In fact, as much as she tried to deny it, she knew that he might not make it.

The life that her father tied her to was safe. It was predictable. In the back of her mind, she hated it. Oh, sure, she loved her father more than words could say.. But her definite lack of a love life or a social life meant that her and Jackson had a sickening similarity - they only had their work. Her father was the only one who kept her in this safe routine because she lived it for him. What would happen if he died?

A few days went by and Lisa hadn't seen any other signs of Jackson. She could only assume that he had disappeared on another job, which meant she really was alone when she went to sleep at night. For some reason, it bothered her a little.

Her father finally managed to convince her to return to work. Her first day back proved to be disastrous. Several of the rooms had water leaks, which in turn, caused ceiling damage on the rooms below. And a celebrity arrived unannounced, and was then annoyed when the suite she wanted wasn't immediately available.

But the worst was yet to come. At the very end of her shift, the phone rang.

"Lux Atlantic, this is Cynthia speaking.. Oh, yes. She's right here, hold on." Cynthia turned to her with a frown. "It's for you, Leese."

"Lisa Reisert speaking.."

"Miss Reisert, this is Dr. Andrews at Mt. Sinai. I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding your father…"


	4. Chapter 3: Leaving

Here's chapter four! I hope you guys like it! Sorry for the delay, I had computer problems. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Lisa's world had, for the third time in four years, fallen apart. Her father's death hit her like a sucker punch to the stomach, and she was left scrambling to pick up the broken pieces of her life.

The funeral came and went faster than she could comprehend. But, surprisingly, despite the fact that she was absolutely dying on the inside, she managed to keep a public face. She was calm and collected, even as she cleaned out her fathers house and sold off his things. It was the business side of her that held her together.

But everyone has a breaking point, even the tough Lisa Reisert. Hers simply took a little time to catch up with her. Two weeks after the funeral, nineteen hours without sleep, five phone calls about the sell of her fathers house, and three large glasses of red wine later, she was curled up in a ball on the living room floor of her apartment. She was broken. Her sobs came out in heart wrenching gasps, and her entire body shook with the ferocity of it all. Her petite hand curled into a fist and she slammed it into the carpeted floor over and over again. Waves of grief, depression, anger, betrayal, and hurt flooded through her. It was the most powerful thing she had ever felt. The build up had begun from the moment she had been raped, all the way through the flight from Texas to Miami, and ending with her fathers death. At some point she pulled herself up, wrapped her shaking arms around her knees, and hid her face. The more she cried, the louder she got, until she felt like she was screaming so loud that the world was forced to stop and notice her.

And Jackson didn't know what to say.

In his line of work, he thought he had seen the depth of human hysteria. But never had he seen someone completely fall apart like Lisa was in the process of doing.

"Lisa.." Even his voice didn't startle her back to reality. She was completely lost in her own world of misery.

If Jackson believed in fate, he would have definitely thought that it had a hand in bringing him to her on that exact night. But as it was, he didn't, and he also didn't know how to play the role of comforter. Somewhere deep inside of him, in a part that he had long since thought was dead, he felt for Lisa. Compassion stirred in a soul that had thought it was impossible to feel. Kneeling next to her, he set a hand on her shoulder and murmured her name again.

Before he could react, she had turned on him with a cry. Her hands gripped to his shoulders as she shoved him to the floor and she moved on top of him, straddling his sides. Her tiny fists were now punching his chest rather than the floor, but in her extremely weakened state, it didn't hurt him. Letting her exhaust herself, she finally fell against him and sobbed into his chest. "I hate you.. I hate you.. I hate you!"

Awkwardly, he held her in his arms. Hours seemed to pass with her laying on top of him, soaking his shirt with her tears. Finally, at some point, Lisa seemed to become aware of the situation. She dragged herself off of him and fell to the floor, her face pressed to the carpet.

"If you've come to kill me, now would be an excellent time," Her voice was weak and had he not been laying right next to her, he wouldn't have heard it. Jackson stood and grabbed her arm, roughly pulling her limp form to her feet.

"I'm not here to kill you. I heard about your father and I came to check on you. And that I have a proposal for you."

"No," She glared angry, glassy eyes at him. Her face was tear strained and the normally creamy skin was red with puffiness.

"Now, now, Leese. You haven't even heard it.."

"I don't care. I don't CARE!" She turned and screamed again, and this time when she punched him in the face, it was with strength.

She knocked him square in the jaw, which jerked his head to the side and caused a cut on his lip. With a growl, he grabbed her and threw her across the room so that she knocked over a table and landed against the wall. A lamp toppled over and smashed in the process. Groaning, she brought a hand to the back of her head, which was quickly growing damp with blood.

"Why do you insist on starting it, Leese? I came here to help you, and all you do is try to beat me up. You should really work on controlling your violent tendencies." Chuckling, he crossed the room and once again ripped her to her feet.

She swayed and he caught her, a flicker of concern flashing through the bright blue eyes. "Leese?"

With her head against his shoulder, she groaned and weakly tried to pull out of his arms. "Let me..go.."

"When was the last time you ate? Or even slept?" When he didn't get a response, he rolled his eyes. Women and their dramatic tendencies.

Jackson had to pretty much drag her into the kitchen. Dropping her into a seat, he went to her pantry. It was nearly empty. "Lisa, I understand that right now you're going through hell. But that's no excuse to deprive yourself of necessities. Is this what your father would want?" All that he could find was bread, and then there was a enough of cheese, lettuce, and ham meat in the fridge for a sandwich. Sitting next to her, he drew his chair up closer and held the sandwich in her face until she was forced to take it and eat it herself.

"Now that your mouth is stuffed and you won't be able to interrupt, I have some information for you." When she simply continued to chew on her sandwich, he went on. "I found your rapist. And interestingly enough, it benefits both of us for him to be dead."

He was actually surprised that she didn't choke, especially considering the look she gave him. Holding up his hand to silence what she would try to say, he continued. "Yes, I want to kill him, and I want you as my partner. Now, before you start asking questions, I'm going to tell you. Don't. If you want to, you have to go with me tonight. We have to leave Miami. If you don't want to go - fine by me. Stay here and wallow in your world of self pity and waste away through lack of food and sleep. I don't give a shit. But it makes my life easier if you do go."

Finally, she sat back and looked up at him. Her voice was soft and almost childlike. "Why?"

"I told you, no questions. Yes or no."

"Yes."

* * *

It happened so fast that she barely could comprehend it. Lisa went from sobbing hysterically on her floor, to being whisked away in the middle of the night in Jackson's sleek black Mercedes. Once they had gotten out of the city glow of Miami, the darkness settled in and seemed to envelope everything but the headlights of his car. Leaning her seat back, she tilted her head so that she was looking up out the window. Why would Jackson have wanted to find her rapist in the first place? And why would his death benefit him? And why include her? There was so many questions racing through her head that as she drifted to sleep, she didn't realize that Jackson had succeeded at doing one thing…since he had put his hand on her shoulder, she hadn't thought of her father.

The sun was just beginning to rise when Lisa began to stir. "Where are we?" Her voice was hoarse and she slowly sat up, glancing over at Jackson.

"Savannah."

"Georgia? Why?" But the look he gave her silenced her -- for the moment.

"We're going to stop and get a hotel room, I'm exhausted and you look like you could still use another six hours of sleep."

Looking out the window, Lisa couldn't stop the very small smile that came to her face. The old part of Savannah that they were in was absolutely gorgeous. She'd seen it before, in that movie Midnight In The Garden of Good & Evil, and now she knew why they'd actually filmed it in Savannah. It was like another world. As they pulled off the oak lined street into a small drive, she looked back to him.

"This is the Carlton House, it's an old pre-Civil War house that's been turned into a hotel. I've stayed here before.. I think you'll like it." His tone was impersonal as he opened his door and popped the trunk. Opening hers as well, she walked around to grab her suitcase but found that he was already half way up the steps with both of theirs. Trotting along behind him, a frown fell on her face.

Once they'd gotten into the room, she stopped. "Wait.. There's only one bed. Look, why don't I just go get my own.."

"No. You're safer with me.."

She turned on him and glared, her hands going to her hips. "I've had enough, Jack. I realize you're probably enjoying this odd power trip of you having some kind of control over me, but I think I deserve an explanation! Why are we here? Where are we going? And what does this have to do with my rapist?"

He rolled his eyes at her and tossed her bag on to the bed. "Get changed into your pajamas. It's a king sized bed, so you won't even half to be within an arms distance of me if you want. But should you get the urge.." Lisa didn't know how it was possible for him to make a joke at that moment, and she resisted the desire to throw up. The smirk on his face just irritated her.

"Jack.." Her tone was short and full of barely contained disgust.

"Go to sleep, Leese. I think we've both had enough for one night. I promise, first thing when we get back on the road, I'll explain it all."

Any arguments were cut short, and with his back turned, she changed into her pajamas and crawled into the bed. The mattress felt so wonderfully soft and warm, and before she could stop herself, her eyes were closing heavily. The last thought on her mind was that she felt strangely safe knowing that Jackson was all of three feet away from her.


	5. Chapter 4: Is This Home?

This chapter took so much longer than I thought! I was having a seriously hard time figuring out where I wanted to take it, but I think I've got a good grasp on it now. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! Thanks so much for the reviews and support thus far!

* * *

Lisa arched her back as his hands did torturous things to her body, and her mind was clouded with the desire to touch every inch of his skin. Her lips parted with a gasp as he hit a tender spot, and she could feel his lips turn to a grin against her skin.

His lips were on hers again, his hands pulling away the remaining articles of clothing. A shiver ran down her spine as he gripped her hips for a moment, squeezing them affectionately. She hadn't realized that her eyes had closed until she heard his gentle command. "Look at me."

The bright blue that met her were startling. Not because of their color, but because of the emotions that were reflecting back at her. Lust, desire… and love? His hand ran up her stomach as he pulled back and smiled.

"Leese.."

"Jackson, please.." Her voice was thick with desire, and when he leaned down to kiss her again, her hands scratched down his back.

"I love when you say my name." She shivered again when he whispered in her ear.

"Jackson… "

"Leese." This time it was shorter, and the warmth from a moment before was gone. "Leese.." The hands on her shoulders were no longer loving, but gripped hard. "Wake up."

Sitting up so fast that she almost smacked her head against Jackson's, her eyes shot open. "What?" For a moment, her brain was still in the dream, and she was utterly confused. But as she adjusted and saw the light outside, she knew that she was back into reality. And then she saw his smirk.

"Well, well. That seemed like quite a dream you were having." That earned him a glare as she tried to collect herself, and she forced herself to look away from him. "I'd ask what it was about but I think it's pretty obvious, hm? Anyway, I brought you breakfast." Setting the tray in front of her, she could smell the delicious eggs and toast, as well as the coffee she desperately needed.

Lisa was horrifically embarrassed. What had she said out loud to give away her dream? And the knowing look in his eyes only further pissed her off. But what annoyed her the most was how much her body had responded to just a simple dream. Her heart was still racing and she could still feel the warmth of it..

As she took a bite of toast, Jackson's cell phone went off. Looking warily in her direction, he picked it up and turned away from her.

"Hello?" Lisa watched curiously as his shoulders suddenly tensed.

"We have to go." Hanging up the cell phone, he slipped it in to his pocket and pulled the sheets off of her.

"What? Why?" Standing up and pulling on her pair of jeans, she was fully awake now. The slight panic in his voice was enough to scare her.

Ten minutes later, they were on the road. It highly annoyed her that she had not gotten the chance to shower and finish her breakfast, but for some odd reason, she had decided to trust him. Once they had been on the interstate for awhile, she finally spoke.

"Why did we have to leave?"

"My cell phone.. There was no one on the other line. I think they were trying to trace it."

"Who?" Unconsciously, she leaned closer to him. Perhaps he would finally give her some of the information that had conveniently been left out so far.

With an aggravated sigh, he lit a cigarette and rolled the window down a little. She wrinkled her nose up at the smell.

"I haven't been fully honest with you. No, I didn't lie really, I bent the truth. Ever since the Keefe incident, you, your father, and I have been watched. Needless to say, you pissed off all the wrong people when you botched that. Yes, you. Not I. I failed because I made it personal instead of making sure the mission was finished. But you were the one that called and stopped the whole thing, effectively fucking up their plan and drawing quite a bit of unneeded attention. They knew if they killed you right after, it would be obvious and give the authorities even more evidence and reason to find them. So they waited. Your father's death was probably just a coincidence, but I know for a fact that they want to eliminate you. And me."

At some point during his little story, her mouth had fallen completely open. After a moment, she cleared her throat. "And now?"

"Well, as fate would have it, your rapist is the assassin sent after us. It's almost too weird to be true, but it is. His job is very similar to mine but in a different organization. A competing one. And he'd love nothing more than to take me out - you're just a paid job. He must have been on assignment in Miami when he raped you because he has a.. thing.. for raping young women. The only reason he's never been caught is because his organization covers it up. You were just fortunate that there was no evidence."

Lisa leaned her against the window of the Mercedes and closed her eyes. "You're making this up."

"I wish. It sounds like something out of a bad Tom Cruise movie, doesn't it?"

She didn't say anything.

It was a few hours later that she came out of her daze and began to notice road signs. They were heading north.

"Where are we going?"

"A place where they can't find us."

* * *

Lisa couldn't have possibly found the house that they were at again even if she'd made notes. It was a gorgeous colonial mansion on a creek, with tall columns and a porch that wrapped all the way around. From what she gathered, they were somewhere on the northern side of the South Carolina coast. It was the complete opposite of what she'd imagined Jackson owning.

When they got there, it was already late. They'd gone down so many small roads and finally ended up on a dirt one that had lead to the gate. She stared up at it in amazement.

"This is your place?"

"Yes, surprising I know." He handed her the suitcase and locked the car.

"I just never pictured you going home to a beautiful southern plantation, that's all." They walked side by side up the gravel walk and to the large front door.

"We won't stay here long, this is just a stop. I need to regroup and come up with a better plan."

As Jackson checked the house to make sure there were no bugs or people lurking, Lisa walked out on to the back porch. If the front was beautiful, then the back was breathtaking. The sun sparkled on the rippling water, and the tall grass swayed with even the slightest breeze. There was even a dock that stuck out far into the creek. It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe who the owner was.

The screen door squeaked open and Lisa glanced over her shoulder to see Jackson. "Well?"

"Just us," He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked over at her. She was casually leaned against a column, and the sun was making her skin almost shimmer. The wind moved a curl into her line of vision and she girlishly tucked it behind her ear.

Shaking himself, he quickly retreated inside. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by her again. Mistakes would be made and they would both end up dead. Dumping his brief case on to the table of the living room, he slumped down on to the couch and began thumbing through papers. He knew they didn't have much time.

When Lisa finally wandered back in, she could smell dinner cooking. And if that was any sign of how good it was going to be, well, it made her mouth water. She hadn't had anything to eat other than the one piece of toast she'd managed to grab when they rushed out of the hotel room that morning.

There was already two glasses of wine, plates, and utensils laid out on the small kitchen table. Jackson had just finished cooking when she walked in.

It was odd how domestic they had become. And she felt a little uncomfortable knowing how easily she'd slipped into the role. After all, here they were at his house, eating his food, and planning to spend god only knew how much time together. Sitting down, she picked up the wine glass and took a larger gulp than was necessary. For a moment she wondered where she would sleep that night. She'd been comfortable knowing he was there beside her, in case anything had happened of course.

He set her plate in front of her - chicken, salad, corn, and a biscuit.

Dinner consisted of meaningless and sparse conversation, and when they were both finished, they took the plates to the kitchen and retreated to the back porch once more. He lit a cigarette and she worked on her third glass of red wine.

It was almost pissing her off how easily he had infiltrated every aspect of her life. He wasn't keeping her captive, so to speak, but she felt as if he held her in some respect. Somewhere along the line she had become intrigued, and more than that, by Jackson Rippner. He was handsome, and she knew that he could be charming when he so needed to be. Had the Tex-Mex Jackson been an act? Or was that some part of his personality that he hid away until it was convenient.

"How much of it was an act?" She spoke without thinking, and she almost didn't recognize the hoarse voice as her own.

"Of what?"

Clearing her throat, she finally looked to him. "The tex-mex."

"I wondered if you'd ever ask about that." Jackson stared straight at her, meeting her gaze evenly. It was almost unnerving, but she refused to back down and look away. Taking the moment, he marveled at how much she had improved in just the few days with him. While she was obviously still grieving her father, she wasn't obsessed with it. And her skin had regained its natural color. After what seemed like a long moment, he answered.

"Not all of it was an act, Lisa. I didn't have to try that hard to pretend to be attracted to you." He was satisfied with the frown that came to her face. Obviously it wasn't the answer she was looking for.

Standing up and walking closer to her, Jackson's signature smirk was in full force. He was too close to her before she even knew it.

"Now, Leese, let me ask you something.. You were dreaming this morning when I woke you up. It was obviously something of a… sexual nature. So why did you say my name? And in that tone of voice, well, it leads to assumptions." Jackson had backed her up against a column, her body was shaking with his closeness.

The anger that suddenly surged through her was unstoppable, and before she could even stop herself, she'd reached up and slapped him so hard that his head jerked to the side. He stayed that way for a minute, his fingers coming up to touch the trail of blood that trickled down his lip. She was trapped between his warm body and the hard column.

"You see, Leese, I knew I was right. Thanks for proving it to me. Maybe you'd like to tell me about the dream? We could always try to make it come true." It was obvious that he was teasing her, his lips inching ever closer to hers. For a moment, an urge to meet him half way over came her, but she held back. His hand moved slowly from her lower back to the back of her head, where he entwined the soft brown curls between his fingers.

"Get away from me.." She was trying to sound surer and braver than she felt, but deep down she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him.

Just as it seemed he was going to kiss her, and her eyes had slid shut, he stepped away and let go of her. "Shall I show you to your room?"


End file.
